Dust and dirt cleaning system for garment pressing plants



DUST AND DIRT CLEANING SYSTEM FOR GARMENT PRESSING PLANTS W. L. BRAUNDec. 12, 1961 Filed March 16, 1959 United States Patent '0 DUST AND DIRTCLEANING SYSTEM FOR GARMENT PRESSING PLANTS William L. Braun, Norwaik,Conn., assignor to B-Vac Corporation, Norwalk, Conn, a corporation ofConnecticut Filed Mar. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 799,634

4 Claims. (Cl. 382) This invention relates to a dust and dirt cleaningsystem for a garment pressing plant.

Practically all modern dry-cleaning or garment pressing plants areequipped with a power-driven air vacuum system the primary or onlyfunction of which is to remove steam and moisture from a garment duringthe pressing and steaming operation on a pressing machine supplied withsteam from a suitable supply. This vacuum system is connected to thepress by means of a pipe called a header, and vacuum is produced in thisheader by a power-driven suction device, including a separator forseparating moisture from the air drawn through the header from thegarment press. The operation is a very simple one in which, after agarment has been steamed and pressed and the crease has been firmly putinto the cloth by means of a heated metal cover held tightly against thecloth, the supply of steam to the press is cut off and the valve isopened in a connection from the press to the header or vacuum line, andsteam and dampness are drawn through and away from the garment to dryand cool it ofli. This is the only function of the air vacuum system nowgenerally employed by pressing or cleaning plants. As steam and moistureare drawn with the air from the press and circulated through thissystem, it cannot be used for cleaning or sweeping, because if it wereused to suck up dust, dirt or lint with this vacuum unit, this matterwould collect and be held in the pipes and impeller system, as theinteriors of these elements are damp or wet as a result of the moistureof the steam passing through, and this dirt and lint would readily clingto these wet surfaces. Thus in a short time the conduits and impellersystem would clog up with this dust, dirt and lint and the air passagesof the system would then no longer produce or supply vacuum to the pressor carry the air and moisture away from it. This dust, dirt and lintwould tend to'build up on the moist or wet surfaces of the system untilthere would be no opening for the air to pass through because of thevacuum. Also the impellers would soon become loaded with this materialand thus become inoperative or unbalanced, and this would possiblyresult in mechanical damage and failure. For these reasons it is simplyimpossible to operate these air vacuum systems designed for the pressingor cleaning plant both as a means for removing steam and as a device forpicking up dust and dirt. The system including the'header, the conduitconnection from the garment press to the header, the connection from theheader to the suction or vacuum producing element, as well as thiselement itself, are free of filter means for the dust and dirt from thepress.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aneffective and simple apparatus which will permit use of this centralvacuum system both as a drier in garment pressing operations and also asa cleaner or sweeper for cleaning'dust, dirt and lint from the plant andequipment, andone which would permit use of the vacuum for removal oflint and dust from all portions of the plant, including the mechanism ofpresses and other hardto-get-at places. It is necessary in such anapparatus to prevent dirt and lint picked up from the plant and pressesfrom getting into the vacuum system, and therefore I have designed asuitablecol-lector tank with a hose inlet and vacuum outlet including afilter means such, for example, as a rapid-disposal removable bag in thetank between the inlet and outlet, capable of removing dust and lintfrom air flowing through the tank, with a cleaning suction hoseconnected to the inlet for picking up dirt and lint from all parts ofthe plant and presses, and a conduit connection from the outlet to thevacuum header which may be either permanently connected to the header,or preferably connected by a detachable connection, permitting storageof the cleaning apparatus out of the way when not in use. There is alsoprovided in the outlet from the tank to the header a filter screen whichacts as a safety device and prevents any lint or dirt particles fromgetting into the vacuum line or header in case of failure of the filtermeans in the tank. One or more detachable connections for connectingthis cleaning apparatus to the header of a vacuum system may beprovided, depending on the size of the plant and the amount of space tobe cleaned.

7 With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention isnot limited to the specific details of construction and arrangementshown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scopeof the invention.

In this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the garment pressing and cleaning systeminvolving one or more garment presses and the steam supply and vacuumsystem connected thereto, and my improved dust and dirt cleaningapparatus applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a top plan View thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a detachable connection which may be usedfor connecting the suction conduit from the cleaning apparatus to thevacuum system;

FIG. 4 is a partial side view and partial section thereof;

FIG. 5 is'a sectional view of a filter tank for use in this cleaningapparatus;

FIG. 6 is a portion thereof on a somewhat larger scale, and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a modified means of connecting the cleaningapparatus to the vacuum system.

The garment cleaning and pressing system may comprise one or moregarment presses 10 depending on the size 'of' the plant, three beingshown in the drawing. These may comprise any of the standard andwell'known type of press in which garments are pressed between heatedmembers by which steam is supplied to the garment and then air is drawnthrough the garment to dry and cool it, as well as set the folds andcreases by removing the resultant moisture. In the drawing these pressesare shown diagrammatically and not in detail. They comprise an upperhollow cover member 11 including a perforated lower metal wall, and ahollow opposed lower member 12 provided with an upper perforated surface(not shown) which may or may not be covered with a suitable cloth orfabric. The upper member ,11 may be hinged by suitable supporting means13 whereby it may be raised from the lower member 12 for insertion andremoval of the garment between them, and also provided with foot .orother operable means (not shown) for raising'and lowering the uppermember and pressing it against the garment'supported 'on the lowermember for the pressing-operation. Means is provided for heating atleast one of these members 11 and 12 by circulation of steam through itby means of suitable steam supply pipes 14 connected to any suitablesource of steam supply (not shown), and these pipes are provided withsuitable control valves 15 whereby the supply of steam to the members ofthe press may be turned on or cut off. The

lower perforated member 12 is connected by a suitable conduit connection'16 to the vacuum system including a pipe or header 17 connected to apower-driven vacuum producing machine 18. This machine 18 may include ahollow separator tank 19 to which the header 17 is connected, this tankoperating as a moisture separator to separate moisture from the -airdrawn through the header 17, and at the top of this tank is a vacuumproducing suction means 20 including rotatable impeller means 21 drivenby a suitable motor 22. This vacuum or suction means is connected to thetop of the tank 19 by inlet means, and is provided with a suitableoutlet 23. A suitable valve means 24 is provided in the conduitconnection 16 between the lower member 12 of the press and the header 17to open and close this connection.

' Means is provided for connecting my cleaning -appara tus to thisvacuum system for operation thereby, in conjunction With the garmentpressing operation. This cleaning apparatus comprises a filter andcollector tank 25 which may be a" hollow upright metal tank 40 with ahose inlet 26 leading to this tank and a vacuum outlet 27 leading fromthe tank. The inlet 26 is connected by any suitable connection 28 to aflexible hose 29 connected at its opposite end to a vacuum cleaner orsuction head 30 for access to all parts and locations for cleaning andremoval of dust, dirt and lint by this apparatus. The outlet 27 isconnected by a suitable conduit 31 to the header 17 of the vacuumsystem. This may be a flexible hose, or it could be a permanent pipeconnection if there is space in the plant for containing the collectortank 25 when not in use, but preferably one or more valve controlledconnections 32 are provided in the header 17, which connection includesmeans whereby the flexible hose 31 maybe detachably connected to.th'ei-header 17. Thus this connection may comprise a fixture 33 with anadapter 34 connected to one side thereof into which the tapered couplingmember 35 connected to the hose may be inserted and held either byfriction, rubber sleeve, or

by. some locking connection (not shown), and when the hose is removedthis inlet is closed by a suitable closure valve 36 such, for example,as a valve hinged to the fixture at 37 and adapted to drop eitherbygravity or a spring (not shown) over and close the opening to theadapted 34 when the hose is removed, to thus close the inlet to thevacuum header to maintain the vacuum therein.

In FIG. 7 is shown a connector whereby the flexible hose 31 or otherconduit can be permanently connected to the header 1 7, as, for example,by the connecting fixture 38 controlled by a cut-01f valve 39. Thecollector or separator 25 comprises a metal tank40 in which is aperforated cylinder 41supporting on its inner side a filter bag 42. Thebag fits this cylinder so that it is supported by the cylinder againstthe strong vacuum produced in the tank, the cylinder being spaced fromthe outer tank member 40 to thus provide a space 43 surrounding thecylinder and to which the vacuum outlet 27 is connected. In this outletis a filter screen 44 which acts as -a safety connected to the header 17either by the detachable connections of FIGS. 3 and 4 or the permanentconnection of FIG. 7, thus connecting the vacuum in the system to thecollector or separator tank 25, which draws a stream of air through theinlet hose 29 and from the suction head or nozzle 30, carrying with itdirt and lint particles from the cleaning operation, which are collectedin the filter bag 42, and this bag when filled may be easily removed andthrown away and a new bag substituted. If this bag should fail, thefilter 44 would prevent lint and dirt particles from getting into thevacuum system which draws moist air from the presses. This cleaningapparatus therefore permits use of the vacuum system used for theclothes cleaning and pressing operations in a garment cleaning andpressing plant which, because of the moisture in the air flowing throughthe system from the presses, cannot be used directly as a cleaning meansfor the plant; but with this improved apparatus this system can bereadily and efiectively used for thoroughly cleaning all the plant,including machines or other apparatus in it, without in any wayinterfering with the proper functioning of the vacuum system for use inthe pressing operations.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. A system for garment pressing plants-including a header comprising aconduit, a vacuum producer connected to said header, a garment press ofthe type in which garments are pressed between heated members by whichsteam is supplied to the garment and then air is drawn through thegarment to cool and dry it by removing the resultant moisture, a conduitconnection from the press to the header whereby the vacuum in the headerwithdraws the air and moisture from the press, said conduit connectionand header with its connection to the vacuum producer being free of anyfilter means for dust and dirt from the press, a vacuum cleaning devicecomprising a collector tank, a hose inlet and vacuum outlet connected tothe tank, a filter means in the tank between said inlet and outletcapable of removing dirt and lint particles from air flowing from theinlet to the outlet, a vacuum cleaning inlet nozzle connected by aflexible hose to said inlet, a conduit connection from said outlet tosaid header, and valve means controlling said latter conduit connection.

2. A system for garment pressing plants according to claim 1 in whichthere is an additional filter between the outlet from the tank and theheader capable of preventing dust and dirt passing to the header shouldthe filter in the tank fail.

device to prevent any lint or dirt particles from getting into thevacuum line or header 17in case of failure of the filter bag 42.Although it is preferably in this outlet it could be anywhere betweenthe tank and the header 17. For example, it could be in the inlet of theconnections 33 or 38 or in the hose coupling 35. This is veryimportantfor the reason explained above, to insure that no dirt or 'lmt gets intothe vacuum system of the presses to cause clogging of the conduit or airpassages involved therein. The tank 25 is closed atits upper end by asuitable removable cover 45 which may be sealed by a suitable rubbergasket 46 to prevent leakage of the air from outside into the tank, andthe inlet 26;, leading to the inside of the bag 42 may be carried bythis cover. This filter bag is removable and provides a rapid-disposalmeans for the dirt and lint collected during the cleaning operation.

In the use of this device the inle connection 31 is 3; A system forgarment pressing plants according to claim 1 in which there are one ormore fixtures having an inlet to the header providing means fordetachably connecting the conduit from the tank to the header andproviding a closure for the inlet to the header.

4. A system for garment pressing plants according to claim 1 in whichthe collector tank comprises an outer member, a perforated cylinder inthe outer member and of smaller diameter providing a space between thecylinder and the outer member, a removable filter bag on the inner sideof the cylinder and supported thereby, the inlet to the tank leads totheinside of the bag, and the outlet from the tank leads from the spacebetween the cylinder and the outer member. I

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7847,947 Kenney Mar. 19, 1907 1,169,873 Sanborn Feb. 1, 1916 1,220,297Vanderhoof Mar.'27, 1917 2,028,215 Heuberger Jan. 21, 1936 2,388,279Nufier Nov. 6, 1945 V FOREIGN PATENTS I 666,652 France May 27, 1929381,622 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1932

